THE STORY
I
have established a Rescue Fund to help persecuted LGBT Africans escape from
their countries, as well as supporting safe housing, and quests for
asylum.
I
was born in South Africa and became an attorney during the Apartheid era,
before immigrating to the U.S.A. in 1985. I am a former Marin County Human
Rights Commissioner, and founder of Private Courts, a conflict resolution and
global human rights advocacy firm based in the Bay Area. All my advocacy work has been pro bono. I blog
at www.oblogdeeoblogda.me, and use my
writing as a platform for my advocacy work.
- I
learned at a young age about the Holocaust and scapegoating and the
importance of Jews in the Diaspora to help others escape persecution. As a
member of the global LGBT community I could not sit back and ignore the
plea for help generated by my writing, from Africa’s LGBTI community.The letters I have received will break your heart and they are numerous.
While the US has made strides in
equality for LGBT people, African countries such as Uganda and Nigeria have
passed Draconian legislation, that has served to increase persecution against
gays, lesbians, bisexual, transgender and intersex people.
By way of example, in Uganda,
LGBTI people are being arrested, taunted, paraded in front of press, outed in tabloids, seized and
assaulted in incidence of mob (in)justice, and all this after being rejected,
ostracized by family, friends and Government alike. The LGBT community in Uganda are terrified and have nowhere to turn, as President Museveni has now poised signed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill that will put many in prison for life.
This is URGENT~
The stories of rejection by parents, family and friends, the arrests under these
laws and resulting assaults, insidious mob justice are horrendous. Many fear
for their lives:
- By
contributing to this Rescue Fund you will help more gay,
lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex people from Africa escape terrifying
persecution. For some, this is a matter of life or death.
What We Need
We need to raise as much as possible – there will be
many more people to help as time goes by. The more we raise, the more we can do. This is how the funds
will be used:
I have a growing list of over 30 people who have been verified
and need to escape from Uganda, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gambia and other countries. 100% of the funds raised will be used for fees for passports, visas,
transport out of the countries, and safe shelter and food, pending, in some instances, escape:
$100 pays for passport
$200 pays for a visa
$350 provides food and shelter for a month in Africa pending escape
$800 - $1,600 buys an air ticket
Legal fees - pro bono/ accommodation donated.
At this time there is not a single USA organization
addressing this problem of direct funding to help victims of the new law and the subsequent tabloid outings which have put people at even greater risk.
Please write
to me if you have specific questions you would like answered.
Nathan@privatecourts.com
Unfortunately without air tickets and visas, some people have escaped across borders. This is not ideal as those people are usually placed in UNHCR refugee camps where they are further degraded and abused by other refugees, It can take over 18 months for resettlement. Often the nightmare continues....
Thank You Gifts:
1) Total Escape: Just last week, Edie Windsor, the
Plaintiff from the U.S.A. Supreme Court case which ruled The Defense of
Marriage Act unconstitutional and who was named Times Magazine #3 Person of The
Year, signed a South African Gay Flag for me and agreed that I could use it to
raise money for LGBT asylees. I will award this beautiful flag to the person
who donates the most money over $3,250. The Gay Flag of South Africa has
received National status. One day Edie's autograph will be worth a lot of money.
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Picture: Autographed Flag with Edie Windsor pictured with Filmmaker of GAY USA the Movie, Kristina Lapinski.
2) Air ticket Provider: I will also provide an Elie Wiesel Silver
Coin, in a descriptive 4 page sleeve pack, newly released by Mint of Norway, and in limited edition to be purchased from the South
African Gold Coin Exchange, to the first 10 people who provide more than $500
donation. (pic below)
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3) Passport Provider: I will provide Nelson Mandela Coins (gold
colored made from metal BU) depicting the image of Nelson Mandela with the
words “A Long Walk to Freedom”, donated by The South African Gold Coin Exchange
to the first 20 people who donate $100 or more. (pic below)
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I do not have much to offer in return for
contributions, other than the satisfaction of knowing that you may have contributed
to the saving of a life.
Other Ways You Can Help
- Please
use Indiegogo share tools to spread the word, use Facebook and social media to get the word
out –
- Lets save lives together!
